tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6546397903298963326..comments2015-03-03T16:42:01.670-05:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, Jan. 5, 2008 - Paula GamacheRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75570919405152181792011-04-23T12:04:34.634-04:002011-04-23T12:04:34.634-04:00&quot;Kil&quot; CAN be an abbreviation for &quot;k...&quot;Kil&quot; CAN be an abbreviation for &quot;kilometer&quot;, unfortunately it can also be the abbreviation for all the other thousands of measurements that require the base unit to be multiplied by 1,000....<br /><br />So not such a good clue, but not so hard to get, either...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12655710526940154922008-02-16T20:49:00.000-05:002008-02-16T20:49:00.000-05:00A slip is basically a parking space in a marina--a...A slip is basically a parking space in a marina--a place to moor your boat. The Governor Hayes of Ohio was later a forgetable President of the U.S.: Rutherford B.Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11141281061134982760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42875734954255300892008-01-06T20:26:00.000-05:002008-01-06T20:26:00.000-05:00@dan: Rotini Bitch! I love that.@dan: Rotini Bitch! I love that.Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15585606394769365402008-01-06T15:41:00.000-05:002008-01-06T15:41:00.000-05:00Orange, thanks for the link to the Henry hook piec...Orange, thanks for the link to the Henry hook piece. I'm working up the nerve to go to the tournament.Hobbyistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50619757164229921462008-01-05T22:11:00.000-05:002008-01-05T22:11:00.000-05:00I'm afraid to time myself on Friday and Saturday, ...I'm afraid to time myself on Friday and Saturday, because I can't always finish, but yesterday's and today's didn't hurt too badly. Of course, they're below-average difficulty...<BR/><BR/>I did eventually have to cheat in the NW, because of freakin' KIL and the first three Downs, which were totally foreign to me. When I had ---NN-BITCH, I was searching for some type of pasta that would fit, thanks to the "saucy" clue. <I>Penne Bitch</I>? <I>Rotini Bitch</I>?<BR/><BR/>You made the right call, Rex: musical theater is much more fun than opera. Though it may be less useful for crosswords, because all the opera fill is in a foreign language! Anyway, as soon as possible, move away from the pedestrian Jerry Herman shows and get yourself some nice meaty Sondheim... (<I>Sweeney</I> pun intentional)Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209543514266918480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84880573754246274682008-01-05T21:53:00.000-05:002008-01-05T21:53:00.000-05:00Ms. Orange, while once I did smoke crack with a de...Ms. Orange, while once I did smoke crack with a dealing pimp, in a strange interaction with the underworld, I also went up to Mt. Palomar and practiced TELESCOPY.Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39411937729964797162008-01-05T21:28:00.000-05:002008-01-05T21:28:00.000-05:00Fergus, you are on crack. OPA and LICEY were far c...Fergus, you are on crack. OPA and LICEY were far crappier/more questionable fill than KIL, which at least you can make sense out of with the crossings.<BR/><BR/>Jerry, a great many ACPT attendees report feeling like they are among their "tribe" there, surrounded by people who share an enthusiasm and pastime. You'll dig it.Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63147357900611684202008-01-05T21:27:00.000-05:002008-01-05T21:27:00.000-05:00I noted this the last time we were scrutinizing th...I noted this the last time we were scrutinizing this article, but I'm still amazed by it - who would need to take AN HOUR OR SO to do the Monday puzzle? If that's all the "average solver" is capable of, then I'm proud to pronounce myself above average. Saturday's characterization is more in line with my reality.wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899889818724088564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20077726260731499972008-01-05T21:19:00.000-05:002008-01-05T21:19:00.000-05:00Enjoyed the NYorker article Amy-thanks.Got a kick ...Enjoyed the NYorker article Amy-thanks.Got a kick out of the following quote from it:<BR/>The Times edits its puzzles to get harder as the week progresses: an average solver will do the Monday puzzle in an hour or so, the Wednesday in two hours, and fling the Saturday puzzle across the room in a fit of impotent fury.<BR/>I was certainly ready to fling my paper last Saturday!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49156311810740370102008-01-05T21:00:00.000-05:002008-01-05T21:00:00.000-05:00If the C were for Cynical, I wonder when that era ...If the C were for Cynical, I wonder when that era would be said to have begun?Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75707236197487764422008-01-05T20:52:00.000-05:002008-01-05T20:52:00.000-05:00I don't know which is correct but I prefer A CUTE ...I don't know which is correct but I prefer A CUTE ACCENT and assume it is french.<BR/><BR/>BCE, I think, started out as "Before the Christian Era" and got even more PC by changing it to "Common".ricknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21152092588501691632008-01-05T20:47:00.000-05:002008-01-05T20:47:00.000-05:00Even though this puzzle took me all afternoon, off...Even though this puzzle took me all afternoon, off and on, I thought it was an easy one and I kept telling myself that as I struggled to figure out answers that I knew that I knew!<BR/><BR/>Biggest "Duh" moment- when I came up with EL CAPITAN. I kept trying to think of more esoteric names and finally got enough crosses to figure it out. Interestingly enough, there's also an El Capitan outside of my town, San Diego.<BR/><BR/>Second biggest "Duh" moment- putting in SBE (and thinking I was so smart) instead of DDE. Great cluing for the DDE fill, though!<BR/><BR/>Third biggest "Duh" moment- forgetting to change the A in IL TRAVATORE to an O when I got the NO HANDS answer. So even though I got it all right in my head, I didn't on paper (and no googling, either!)<BR/><BR/>Lots of fun cluing but had to pull BEREA out of the far reaches of my mind. (Who else could that poem have been TO, anyway, CELIE?)<BR/><BR/>Add me to the list of KIL haters. WEB ART, while forced, is a term used by AOL.<BR/><BR/>Interestingly enough it was the 3-letter fills that got me. Had MET for REB for quite a long time, even though I came up with EMIRATES but didn't fill it in.<BR/><BR/>Never thought I'd see a ham on a horse, Emily!Doc Loonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-49612967244300956012008-01-05T20:03:00.000-05:002008-01-05T20:03:00.000-05:00... on further thought, KIL was the shabbiest entr...... on further thought, KIL was the shabbiest entry in a long time. HARD CAP was sort of shoddy too, so I find this puzzle lacking in the brilliance that I thought I saw earlier. Still, within the grid there were so many entertaining combinations, like Nasty habits saving the day in an oddly appropriate OXYMORON.Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53916383040418677232008-01-05T19:38:00.000-05:002008-01-05T19:38:00.000-05:00'Kil' for kilometer is a stretch.The military, and...'Kil' for kilometer is a stretch.<BR/>The military, and likely others as well, use the term 'click' (klick?), though.<BR/>Orange - thanks for the encouraging words. I would like to finally meet people who share my enthusiasm for crossword and other puzzles. In truth, I have never yet met any!Jerry20020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57639935416759194932008-01-05T17:14:00.000-05:002008-01-05T17:14:00.000-05:00This one beat me up, but not as badly as last Satu...This one beat me up, but not as badly as last Saturday's.<BR/><BR/>John of Lancaster - argh! Now I get it. I initially though it might be something for John WOO.<BR/><BR/>The SW was the last to fall. It didn't help that I had NO CLUE as the Kentucky college, assumed it was BEREN and consequently assumed that the Ben Jonson poem was "TAMELIN."<BR/><BR/>Had to google KYL. I hang my head in semi-shame. (THe "semi" is because it was the ONLY google I had to do, after an initial feeling I'd have to google a LOT.)<BR/><BR/>Time to rest for a bit and then hit Sunday.billnuttnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75628527540720986722008-01-05T16:35:00.000-05:002008-01-05T16:35:00.000-05:00The treasure hunts around Manhattan still linger i...The treasure hunts around Manhattan still linger in my mind from when that article first came out -- back when I didn't take any notice of whose byline appeared with the daily puzzle. Ever since regularly checking out this blog, however, I've come to appreciate much more the styles of construction among the authors.<BR/><BR/>Without electricity for over 24 hours, but managing to find the NYTimes and struggle through two good puzzles that required diligent revisitation. In a way, I didn't really want to fill in the last few squares, because I was enjoying the abstract cascade of letters.<BR/><BR/>Today's bully's Target was an excellent Clue -- there were so many possibilities, THE NERDY ONE, THE SMART KID, etc. That corner was the toughest even though I'm a fan of both the Marx Brothers and Maupassant. Stuck in that region as well, by 'knowing' that SBA was on the dollar coin. Chucking Susan B. Anthony (who upon reflection was engraved in the 80s?), and installing Eisenhower loosened the logjam, and everything sadly fell into place.<BR/><BR/>Cheered by the return of electricity also, since I think it's about time for some NFL.Fergushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56457108027913235772008-01-05T16:30:00.000-05:002008-01-05T16:30:00.000-05:00A nice Saturday -- challenging, but quite possible...A nice Saturday -- challenging, but quite possible. I wrote in Sitka because I am reading a Michael Chabon novel set in a mythical densely populated Sitka. But I didn't trust this answer and got the NW last -- partly because I was cautious about writing in "bitch" even though the name of that diet book was lodged in a distant part of my brain. (I kept trying "something beach.")Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04700426644898924644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50596956317892814502008-01-05T14:19:00.000-05:002008-01-05T14:19:00.000-05:00Orange,thank you oh so much, not only for the regi...Orange,<BR/>thank you oh so much, not only for the registration (I am 4 blocks from the Marriott, so this will be great!) but also for finding me that article about Henry Hook - this is indeed the article of which I was thinking, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read it again!<BR/>Much appreciated!<BR/>GregGreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00383322329027962325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74741411389437765532008-01-05T14:15:00.000-05:002008-01-05T14:15:00.000-05:00Nice Saturday puzzle - just agonized over a couple...Nice Saturday puzzle - just agonized over a couple of short ones. Agree with the kil / km discussion. I tried to put in hire cap, don't know anything about sports finances. I also read the article about the new "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch"! Re the tournament, all I need to do is cross that bridge.....macnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15681818599244412442008-01-05T13:45:00.001-05:002008-01-05T13:45:00.001-05:00This is only my second Saturday solving with no Go...This is only my second Saturday solving with no Googles, so yay!<BR/><BR/>Regarding hard cap, I don't think you need an e.g. because the NFL is the only major sport that has it. The NBA has about 37 exceptions to their cap, MLB has no cap, and even though I too watch ESPN every day, I'm not even sure if the NHL still plays, much less what their salary structure is.rglick64http://openid.aol.com/rglick64noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82094585023152923752008-01-05T13:45:00.000-05:002008-01-05T13:45:00.000-05:00p.s. talk about PC and NY newspapers -- Roy Morris...p.s. talk about PC and NY newspapers -- Roy Morris, Jr., in his 2003 book "Fraud of the Century: Rutherford B Hayes, Samuel Tilden, and the Stolen Election of 1876", says Hayes "was called 'His Fraudulency' or 'Ruther-fraud B. Hayes'...The New York Sun, which was a Democratic newspaper, habitually when they ran his photograph after he was president, would print the word 'fraud' across his forehead." Those were the days, no beating around the bush!ArtLvrnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70288608734339128712008-01-05T13:44:00.000-05:002008-01-05T13:44:00.000-05:00Oh Rex - that's bound to help! ;) I just checked m...Oh Rex - that's bound to help! ;) <BR/><BR/>I just checked my 1974 diploma and damned if it doesn't say THE Ohio State University on it. I always thought this was a later add-on because OSU was tired of being confused with Ohio University in Athens.wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899889818724088564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90627121380678768542008-01-05T13:42:00.000-05:002008-01-05T13:42:00.000-05:00Jerry, you do know people who'll be at the tournam...Jerry, you <I>do</I> know people who'll be at the tournament. Only online, sure, but once you've met them in person, they're real-life acquaintances.<BR/><BR/>Greg, the tournament website is <A HREF="http://www.crosswordtournament.com/" REL="nofollow">here</A>. The registration form isn't posted yet, but you can reserve your Marriott room and make your travel plans. There are online and at-home solving options for those who can't make it to Brooklyn next month—I did the at-home version in '04 and got a good idea of how I'd do at the tournament the next year.<BR/><BR/>The New Yorker article Greg mentioned is probably <A HREF="http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/03/04/020304fa_FACT" REL="nofollow">this one about Henry Hook</A>.Orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30549403656563513832008-01-05T13:16:00.000-05:002008-01-05T13:16:00.000-05:00@GK-I'm afraid to give opera a real shot, because ...@GK-<BR/><BR/>I'm afraid to give opera a real shot, because I just started giving musical theater a "real shot" and I have a song stuck in my head So Bad that I don't know what to do. It's like a disease. It's Jerry Herman's "I Won't Send Roses," from the musical "Mack & Mabel." I'm going to listen to Abba's "Waterloo" and see if that helps.<BR/><BR/>rpRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9165488243237817392008-01-05T13:13:00.000-05:002008-01-05T13:13:00.000-05:00Greg, a friendly hello from a Buckeye! I've passed...Greg, a friendly hello from a Buckeye! I've passed <A HREF="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5445/337/1600/mirror%20lake%20collage.jpg" REL="nofollow">this historical marker</A> countless times. If you squint you can read about Rutherford Hayes's role in establishing the (yes, the) Ohio A&M College.<BR/><BR/>Rex, over the holidays I had to go without the NY Times and without the online puzzles. I could have read your commentaries but of course they only make sense after grappling with the puzzles. It's wonderful to be back home, but I feel a bit rusty. And I could just kick myself that I had to finally Google to get the SE, because my brain wouldn't wake up to the "John of Lancaster" pun.<BR/><BR/>I know you hate opera, but if you ever want to give it a try a Trovatore highlights album would be a good start. Whatever you do, however, don't attempt to fathom the plot. I guess that makes it appropriate for a Marx Brothers movie. If I remember correctly, they fool the conductor by inserting "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" into the conductor's score. He must be one hell of a conductor, because when he turns the page the entire orchestra launches into the song, LOL.GKnoreply@blogger.com